Coupling-release mechanism



J. F. O'CONNOR.

COUPLING RELEASE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION man FEB. 16, 1921.

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d 2 4 m a 9 My W F T 1 Wafwsw Patented Sept. 19, 19.22

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JOHN F. oooniv'on, or cnioaeo, rrmnors, ASSIGNOR 'ro WI LIAM r-r. MINER,on

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COUPLING-RELEASE MECHANISM.

T 0 all i071 am it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. GCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coupling-ReleaseMechanism, of which the following is. a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

This invention relatesto improvements in coupler release mechanism.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and relativelyinexpensive connection to be employed between the usual operating leverand usual lock pin of a conpler release mechanism.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a connectorof the type above indicated which may be readily applied without the aidof any special tools and also without the necessity of unmounting thecoupler lever in order to thread the connector in the usual eye of suchlever.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sideelevational view of the end portion of a car showing the usual couplerand coupler lever with my improved connector employed therewith. Figure2 is an end elevation showing more particularly the connector asapplied. Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the elementsconstituting a part of the improved connector. And Figure l is anenlarged horizontal sectional view corresponding substantially to theline 4c4: of Figure 2.

In said drawing, the coupler head is indicated at 10, the same beingprovided with a vertical lock or lift pin 11 having an opening or eye 12therein as customary. An operating lever of usual form is indicated at13, the same having a handle let at its outer end and a normallyhorizontally extending arm 15 at its inner end as customary; said arm 15having an opening or eye 16 at its end normally disposed substantiallyabove the lock pin.

The improved connector, as shown, comprises two preferably like elementsA-A.. Each of said elements, as clearly shown in Figure 3, is in theform of a substantially elongated loop having parallelly extending sidearms 17.17 connected by a somewhat diametrically enlarged partial ring18. At their free ends, each arm 17 is formed with a semi-circular hook19 having the end 20 thereof turned inwardly and in this connection itwill be observed that the hooks 19 extend in planes substantiallyperpendicular to the plane defined by the two arms 1717. Immediatelyabove the hooks 19, inwardly extended otfsets 2121 are formed, therebyreducing the distance between the arms 17 at said points.

Each element A is preferably made of forged inherently resilient bar orrod metal of the form shown in Figure 3. l/Vith this arrangement, it isevident that one element A may be threaded through the opening 16 of thelever 15 by simply spreading the two ends 20. Similarly the other element A is threaded through the opening 12 of the lock pin, after whichthe two elements A-A may be sprung over each other so as to have thehooks 19 of the one slidably telescoped with respect to the arms 1717 ofthe other. As will be understood, the

length of the elements AA is made such that the distance between theplane defined by one set of hooks 19 and the plane defined by the otherset of hooks 19 will correspond to the desired amount of lost motion toac commodate longitudinal and radial movements of the coupler withrespect to the release lever. As will be apparent from the foregoing,the connector may be assembled with the other parts of the couplerrelease mechanism without the aid of any special tools and when once inplace cannot become accidentally disengaged. By forming the offsets 21as shown and described, it is evident that the arms of one element mustbe spread a greater distance in being slipped over or removed from thearms of the other element than would otherwise be the case if the arms17 of both elements were left perfectly straight and hence the offsets21 function to prevent accidental disengagement of the two elementseither by reason of service conditions or by reason of such inaccuraciesas may occur in manufacture.

I claim:

1. In a coupler release mechanism having a lock pin provided with anopening at its upper end and a release lever havin an opening thereindisposed substantially a ove the lock pin: a connector comprising twoloosely connectedloops, each loop being substantially of elongated Uform with the ends of each arm thereof hooleshaped, the

hook-shaped ends of each loop extending in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the plane defined by the arms of the loop,

the hook shaped ends of one loop being slidable longitudinally of andonthe arms of the other loop. v

2. In a coupler release mechanism having a lock pin provided With anopening at the 2 top thereof and a releaselever having an openingtherein disposed substantially above the lock pin: a connectorcomprising two 7 like elements each formed of inherently resilient rodmateriaheach'of said elements being in the form oi a substantiallyelongated loop and having the ends thereof hookshapedfthe hook shapedends extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to theplanedefined by the arms of the loop, the

- hook-shaped ends of one element being slidhave hereunto subscribed myably telescope d on the arms of the other element.

3; As an article of manufacture, an element of a connector for couplerrelease mechanisms adapted to be employed With another cooperatingelement, said element being 'formed of resilient bar material and ofelongated-,U-shape, the ends of the arms being bent to hook form withthe ends of the 'hooks opposed to each other, said hookformed ends beingdisposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane-defined bythe arms, each of said arms having an- UNA C. PERIN.

